Towns Uniting Monday to Observe MLK Day

“Justice too long delayed is justice denies,” the theme of the day will remind observers as Ridgewood and Glen Rock unite to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

The free events, beginning at the United Methodist Church on Dayton St. in Ridgewood 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, mark the 32nd year a joint committee of the two towns has organized a public observance of the holiday.

Readings and music from Ridgewood and Glen Rock students will begin the day, followed by a rally in Van Neste Square and community lunch at noon.

“This year, more than ever, we are disheartened by what we see as an erosion of our rights and a reluctance to acknowledge the active resonance of racism in our culture,” committee co-chair Alice Newton said in a release.

“As we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday, we invite our community to join us in addressing, with urgency and action, these critical issues which were central to his work.”

The day’s events will be led by Rev. Kathleen Green of the Ridgewood Unitarian Society and civil rights activist Lawrence Hamm, who was an anti-apartheid activist and is the founder and director of the People’s Organization for Progress, a statewide organization that works for racial, social and economic justice.